Hearing aids conventionally have a tubing portion which enters the user's ear to deliver sound into the ear. The opening at the end of the tubing can become plugged with ear wax, and therefore it is known to fit a wax guard at the end of the tubing. The wax guard is a small piece having an axial hole and can be removed for cleaning.
Existing wax guards have several disadvantages. In many cases they do not adequately prevent wax from entering the hearing aid tubing, and if this occurs, the hearing aid must be disassembled to clean the tubing. If the tubing is fitted with an acoustic filter, and if the filter becomes clogged, then the entire piece of tubing must be discarded or else the filter must be removed therefrom and replaced, both relatively costly operations. In addition, previous wax guards frequently fell out into the ear canal during hearing aid insertion or removal.